Texas Rangers’ manager Chris Woodward calls Yankee Stadium, a “Little League Ballpark”

Posted on by Press Release

Rangers manager Chris Woodward blasts Yankee Stadium short porch after loss
from Larry Brown Sports, with Grey Papke, and from YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com

The Texas Rangers lost in walk-off fashion to the New York Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday, and Rangers manager Chris Woodward was very salty about it.

Gleyber Torres hit a solo home run to right in the bottom of the ninth in a 2-1 Yankees win. The ball looked to be a no-doubter, at least in Yankee Stadium.

Still, Woodward was not pleased. After the game, he delivered a quote, blaming the short porch for the home run and calling it an “easy out in 99% of ballparks.”

“It’s a small ballpark. That’s an easy out in 99% of ballparks,” Woodward said after the game. “The wind wasn’t helping today, obviously. 3-1 count, (Rangers pitcher John King) is one guy that, you put him back out there, you go, okay, he’s not going to give up a homer. Just happened to hit it in a Little League ballpark to right field.”

Yes, right field at Yankee Stadium is a notorious short porch. However, Woodward’s criticisms are not backed by data. According to Statcast, the ball traveled a respectable 369 feet, and would have been a homer of 26 of 30 stadiums.

The Rangers lost a tough game, and Woodward’s frustration at that is understandable. He just sounds bitter here, though, and it’s not the first time he’s sounded needlessly cranky over something an opponent did.